“‘I, Me Aur Main’ Starts Where Conventional Rom-Coms End” – Kapil Sharma In Conversation With Koimoi

You belong to a legion that boasts of a powerful spacenaut like Rakesh Sharma. What made you take the Bollywood plunge?
My decision to be here is more for the love of movies than for the glamour and glitz. But if you cast back to the era of the 1990s, you would see that glamour and glitz existed then also, yet the storytelling and script came first. I belong to that era completely so those movies really got me into all this.

What drove you to choose such a difficult subject of the relationship between men and women as the plot for your first film?
When I was dealing with a lot of stories to make my debut and my first film, I felt that there are lot of stuffs that most rom coms have done away with. But what they never spoke about was what happens after the relationship ends or maybe after the rom-com ends. I wanted to do a film with slightly older people, who are in the middle of relationships and middle of urban India amidst all the confusions that is real life today. I Me Aur Main is just an introspect or a look of what is happening in all our relationships, in a way.

Why did you select John, Chitrangda and Prachi as your film’s main protagonists?
I thought these actors were the best to have fit the roles of Ishan, Anushka and Gauri. The idea of a man-child and the thought was to have somebody who is dishy to look at and yet universally the world to many. Even audience might buy the fact that he is a little self obsessed, but then it does reflect a lot of metro sexual male grooming, at least in his public persona. The character of Ishan is all about a good looking hunk of a man who takes care of himself so everything about him is only about I Me aur Main. There is nothing beyond his self obsession and its all about the good shit in the character.

Chitrangada Singh is the creative man’s pin up girl and she has always been chosen to play characters that she represents. She brings a lot of sophistication as well as a lot of oomph to the table. Her character is of a corporate lawyer so she is playing this upper middle class working professional and her strengths in personality are her independence and self esteem. The plot puts it well on her.

Prachi Desai has been a big surprise in the film, that’s what a lot of people say. But the interesting thing about her is that Prachi in real life is almost like Gauri. She is little boho in her head, dresses a lot like this character, so when we thought upon who to select to play Gauri, there were a lot of conventional options but we chose to go with Prachi and she’s remarkably stunned us in the film. She brings in a breath of fresh air to the table.

So what are you expecting out of your maiden venture?
We hope that the audiences connect to the story and the female audience should connect to this man as someone they know or maybe got up with, or are married to. As for the male audience, they will probably recognize a bit of themselves in Ishan, John Abraham’s character and certainly will recognize the women of their lives in all the other female characters. I just hope everybody has an enjoyable time watching this film, they have a few laughs coupled with a little bit of cry as well. This is just a story an engaging, fun, urban rom com.